Harness motion for looms



April 1939- J. D. WATSON ET AL I 2,152,982

HARNESS MOTION FOR LOOMS Filed July 25, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet l GNMMM April 4, 1939.- J. D. WATSON ET AL HARNESS MOTION FOR LOOMS Filed July 25, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 GMM Ws April 4, 1939. J. D. WATSON ET AL HARNESS MOTION FOR LOOMS Filed July 25, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Agar/G fllyaikselv April 1939- J. D. WATSON ET AL 2,152,982

HARNESS MOTION FOR LOOMS Filed July 25, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Gr m us Patented Apr. 4, 1939 PATENT OFFICE HARNESS MOTION FOR LOOMS John D. Watson, Appleton, and Ludvig Andersen, Wauwatosa, Wis.

Application July 25, 1936, Serial No. 92,618

Claims. (01. 139 -80) This invention relates to a certain new and useful improvement in a harness motion for a loom and deals particularly with an operating mechanism therefor which may be readily adjusted to 5 provide the necessary movements to the heddle frames in accomplishing the desired weaving operation.

The main object of the invention resides in the novel manner of evening the tension on all of the warp threads during the manipulation of the shed while weaving.

Another object of the invention resides in the novel manner of evening the tension on all of the warp threads during the beating of the pick.

Another object of the invention resides in the novel manner of eliminating the operation of one of the heddle frames, whereby a twill weaving machine which necessarily requires the operation of three heddle frames may be easily converted 20- to accomplish an ordinary or common drill weave, which requires the operation of only two heddle frames.

Another object of theinvention is the provision of a loom which may be readily adjusted to accomplish a selected type of weave by simply removing or adding acheddle frame and sliding the cams a few inches but not disturbing or removing the operating harness and other mechanism connected therewith.

A still further object is to prevent any possibility of back-lash or overthrow during the shedding operation, by providing a double cam for the action of the heddle frames.

These and other objects will readily present themselves to those skilled in this particular art when the following specification is read in connection with the attached drawings, wherein we have illustrated the preferred form of our invention, but it is to be understood that certain changes and modifications may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention. The scope of protection contemplated will appear from the amended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an end elevation of the loom, showing the gear box and its drive connections to the heddle frames;

Figure 2 is an enlarged detailed view of the gear box, illustrating more fully the outlines of the cams and the action of the rocking element therewith for controlling the desired movements of the heddle frames;

Figure 3 is an enlarged detailed view of the gear box taken at right angles to the structure shown in Figure 2 and clearly, illustrates the plurality of sets of cams arranged on the shaftings and adapted to be optionally shifted into operative position beneath the rocking elements;

Figure 4 is a view in side elevation showing the gear box and its drive connections to the power shaft and also illustrating the cam action for reciprocating the heddle frames;

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic View illustrating actions of the double cams, with their high, low, and mid-poin throws; and

Figures 6 and '7 illustrate the drive connections between the chains and the power shaft. Figure 6 shows the couple in engaged position, and Figure 7 shows the uncoupled position.

By referring more in detail to the drawings, wherein similar letters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views, Ill designates the rigid portions of the superframe structure of the loom and between which the heddle frames are adapted to reciprocate. In the present case, the loom has been set up to accomplish a twill weave and therefore uses three heddle frames, all of which are of a similar construction and operate in a like manner but on different cycles of move-. ment. The loom, as shown, may be readily changed to accomplish the ordinary or common weave by eliminating the operation of one of the heddle frames, as will be hereinafter described.

Each of the heddle frames has an upper and a lower horizontal bar, H and I2 respectively, and the ends of these bars are clamped between two opposing strip members |4-I4. The heddle frames are properly guided in their vertical reciprocations by the introduction of the strip members l4|4 into recessed portions of the plates l5-I5 which are rigidly secured to the frame portions l0.

Each heddle frame is actuated through a series of bell-crank levers l6-l6 which are pivotally mounted in the rigidly supported brackets 11-". The upper series of bell-crank levers is connected to move in unison by a longitudinally extending connecting bar l8, while the lower series of the bell-crank levers I6 is similarly connected by a bar 19. The intermediate portion of each heddle frame is connected to its appropriate bell-crank lever l6 by a link 29, while the end portions of the frame are directly connected to the bars 2 |2l. Also, as suggested in Figure 1, and looking from the front of the loom, the right-hand connection is extended upwardly through the use of ties 22 to directly actuate the upper series of bell-crank levers l6.

Arranged beneath the superstructure of the loom and in what we term the gear box, is the.

actuating mechanism which controls the cycle of movements of the heddle frames. This gear box comprises end walls 23-23 and side walls 24-24, Journals 25-25 are provided in the end walls 23-23 for the reception of the transversely extending shafts 26-26. The shafts 25-26 are adapted to rotate in opposite directions through the intermeshing of the gears 21-21 located on the ends of said shafts. The opposite end of each shaft 26-26 is provided with a bevelled gear 28-28 which in turn is adapted to mesh with driving pinions 29-29. The pinions 29-29 are keyed upon stubbed shafts 36-30 and said shafts are suitably supported for rotation by the bearings 3l-3l arranged within the sidewalls 24-24 and the intermediate bearing 32 within which the inner ends of the stub shafts 30-30 extend. The outer ends of the stub shafts 30-30 are provided with sprockets 33-33 for the reception of driving chains 34-34 which are in turn actuated from the driving sprockets 35-35 located on the driving shaft 36.

Fixed for rotation with the driving shaft 36 are disc members 31-31 between which the driving sprockets 35-35 are positioned, and in order to couple said sprockets with the discs for rotation therewith, locking screws 33-33 are provided. These locking screws are adapted to threadedly engage within tapped openings in the discs and to enter into suitable recesses or sockets 39 arranged within the sides of the driving sprockets 35-35. It will, of course, be understood that when one of the driving sprockets is coupled to the driving shaft the other one is uncoupled.

As shown in the drawings, particularly in Figure 3, thereof, the transversely extending shafts 26-26 have keyed thereto a plurality of actuating cams which are designated A-B-C- D-E. Cams A, B and C are adapted to be brought into position when a twill weaving operation is desired, while cams D and E are moved into the operating zone when the loom is to be converted to perform the ordinary or common type of weave. Any suitable means may be provided to retain the cams in their desired adjusted position on the shafts 26-26. It is also to be understood that the axial disposition of the cams will be in keeping With the desired weaving operation; for instance, in the twilling operation the cams will be axially disposed with a 120 separation, while in the common weaving operation the separation will be 180. In all operations, however, the high and low surfaces of the cams on one shaft will be opposite the unlike surfaces on the cams on the other shaft.

In performing a twill weaving operation, it is very desirable to relieve the tension that is imposed upon the single warp thread that happens to be inactive during the movements of the other two threads, and in order to overcome this objection we propose to form the cams A, B and C so that during the shedding operation and particularly during the beat of the pick the. tension on all of the threads will be equal. This is ac complished by moving the usual inactive warp thread to the mid-point of the shed and then retracting said thread in keeping with the movement of the advancing warp thread while the third warp thread continues in its movement in the opposite direction.

Extending upwardly from the end walls 23-23 and medially disposed above the shafts 23-26 are bearings 40-40 in which a transversely extending rod is mounted. Pivotally mounted on this rod is a series of rocking members 42-42, each of which is provided at its opposite end portions with rollers 43-43 adapted for contact with the peripheral portions of the cams on the shafts 26-26. The upper portion of each rocking member is slotted, as suggested at 44, for the reception of a block 45. This block may be adjusted to any desired position within the slotted opening, by the screw-shaft 46 which is fixed at its lower end within the block While the intermediate portion of said screw is threadedly engaged within the rotatable sleeve 41. A plate 48 spans the upper opening of the slot and retains the sleeve in position. The plate 48 is firmly secured in an attached position by threaded bolt members 49. Furthermore, the plate 48 may be made in sections to facilitate the assemblage of the sleeve therewith, the sections of the plate being coupled by the screws 50-50.

The block 45 is provided with outwardly extending pintles 52 for the reception of the apertured ends of a yoke member 53. One of the bell-crank levers l has a depending arm 54 to which a yoke bar 55 is pivotally connected. The adjacent ends of the yoke member 53 and the yoke bar 55 are provided with oppositely threaded sockets 56 for the reception of a right-and-leftthreaded bolt 51 for the purpose of adjustments whenever desired.

Brackets 58-53 project upwardly from the gear box and are provided With bearings 59-59, respectively. Tensioning pulleys 50-60 are rotatably mounted in the bearings and are adapted to have rolling contact with the chains 33-33.

If the machine is set for a twill weaving operation the cams A, B and C will be positioned directly beneath the rocking members 3?. and the locking screws 38 will be set to couple the sprocket 35 to the drive shaft 36. Thus, the chain 34 will actuate the sprocket 33 mounted on the shaft 30, thereby driving the pinion 29, the bevelled gear 28, and the shaft 26. The intermeshing of the gears 27-21 will reversely drive the shaft 25, the bevelled gear 28, the driving pinion 29, the shaft 30', the sprocket 33, the chain 34, and the sprocket 35; the latter being uncoupled from the shaft 35 merely idles'through its rotative movements.

The cycle of movement of a frame during a twill weaving operation is as follows: Assuming that the selected frame is in the raised or upper position, the frame will descend to the lower position, then advance to the mid-point of the shed and then return to the lower position and finally be raised to the extreme upper position.

During a twill weaving operation, it will be understood that two of the heddle frames will be in the lowered position to form the lower portion of the shed, and the third frame will be in the raised position to form the upper portion of the shed. After the weft thread has been laid by the passing of the shuttle through the shed, all of the frames are simultaneously advanced toward the mid-point of the shed and approximately at the same time that the beat of the pick occurs. The reduction of the shed 'at this particular time prevents any overtensioning of any particular warp thread during the beating of the pick. In the next cycle of movement of the heddle frames, one of said frames continues in its upward movement, and the other two frames will be simultaneously lowered, thereby again forming the shed to permit the laying 'of the next weft thread.

The loom, in the present instance, is used in weaving Fourdrinier cloth and the specific ac tion of the heddle frames definitely balances the tension on all of the warp wires so as to eliminate knuckles or sharp bends over the weft wires.

The loom may readily be adjusted to perform either a twill weave or the ordinary drill weave by merely shifting the cams along the shafting to bring the desired set of cams beneath the rocking elements. In a twill weaving operation the drive of the cams is from the power shaft and the chain connection 36 to the sprocket 33, and in the ordinary weaving operation the drive is from the power shaft through the chain 34' to the sprocket 33.

The interchanging of a loom from a twill type to an ordinary type of weave has heretofore required considerable time and labor, as it has been necessary to remove the previously set cams and substitute others in their place, dismantling portions of the harness and removing certain heddle frames. The production efficiency of the loom is reduced by this lapse of time, which in some instances requires a full days labor. In the present case, the interchange may easily be performed without the removing or dismantling of any of the operative portions of the loom. If, for instance, the loom has been operating to perform a twill weaving operation, and it is desired to change to the ordinary weaving operation, the

cams A, B and C are slid along the shafting until they are clear of the rocking elements; the cams D and E are then moved into the operating zone which is beneath two of the rocking elements; the third rocking element merely remains inactive. There is no need to dismantle or remove any portion of the operating harness, except one heddle frame, to interchange from one type to another; and such a change can be performed in a comparatively short time.

We claim:

1. A heddle actuating mechanism for looms having in combination, a series of heddle frames, a harness connected to each of said frames, and sets of cams, each varying in number and arranged to be optionally shifted into operative relation with respect to the harness in accordance with the selected number of heddle frames to be operated.

2. A heddle actuating mechanism for looms having in combination, a series of heddle frames, a harness connected to each of said frames, and a plurality of sets of cams, each set varying in number of cams and arranged to be optionally shifted into operative relation with respect to the harness in accordance with the selected number of heddle frames to be operated.

3. An actuating mechanism for looms having in combination, a series of heddle frames, and a plurality of cams grouped in sets of varying numbers and arranged to be optionally shifted into operative position with respect to the heddle frames to control the number of frames to be actuated.

4. An actuating mechanism for looms having in combination, a series of heddle frames, a harness connected to each of said frames, a gear box, a plurality of cams arranged in sets of varying numbers within the gear box and adapted to be optionally shifted into operative position with respect to the harness to control the selected number of heddle frames to be operated.

5. An actuating mechanism for looms having in combination, a series of heddle frames, a harness connected to each of said frames, a gear box, a plurality of sets of cams slidably mounted within the gear box each set varying in number of cams and adapted to be optionally shifted into operative position with respect to the harness to control the selected number of heddle frames to be operated.

6. A heddle actuating mechanism for looms having in combination, a series of heddle frames, a harness connected to each of said frames, a driven shaft, a plurality of cams rotatably secured to said shaft, a rocking element coactively engaged with each of said cams, a link connection between the rocking element and the harness, said connection comprising a block adjustably mounted on the rocking element with one end of the link connected thereto whereby the effective movement of the rocking element may be varied, and means for driving the driven shaft.

7. A heddle actuating mechanism for looms having in combination, a series of heddle frames, a harness connected to each of said frames, a pair of aligned shafts, means for rotating the shafts in opposite directions, a plurality of cams rotatably secured to each shaft, a pivotally supported member having peripheral contact with a cam on each of said shafts, a connection between the pivotally supported member and the harness, said connection comprising a block slidably mounted for movement relative to the pivotal point of the rocking element with one end of the link connected to said block whereby the effective movement of the rocking element may be varied and means for driving the shafts in unison.

8. A- heddle actuating mechanism for looms having in combination, a series of heddle frames, a harness connected with each of said frames, a pair of aligned shafts, a plurality of cams rotatably secured to each of said shafts, a rocking element pivotally mounted intermediate said shafts and coactively engaged with a cam on each of said shafts, a connection between the rocking element and the harness, said connection comprising a block slidably mounted on the rocking element with one end of the link connected thereto whereby the effective movement of the rocking element may be varied and means for driving the aligned shafts in unison.

9. A heddle actuating mechanism for looms having in combination, a series of heddle frames, a harness connected to each of said frames, a rocking element for actuating each harness, and a plurality of sets of cams, each set varying in number of cams and arranged to be optionally shifted into operative relation with respect to the rocking element in accordance with the selected number of heddle frames to be operated.

10. A heddle actuating mechanism for looms having in combination, a series of heddle frames, a harness connected to each of said frames, a plurality of sets of cams, each set varying in number of cams and arranged to be optionally shifted into operative relation with respect to the harness to actuate a selected number of heddle frames without disturbing the harness connection to any of said frames.

JOHN D. WATSON. LUDVIG ANDERSEN. 

